Success Through Writing – The Essay Flowchart
The Essay Flowchart is a transformative learning tool that builds confidence and success through good writing skills.
THE CHALLENGE
What do you do when you hit a roadblock in your life? Or in your career? Or in your plans?
You don’t give up because you can always do something about it.
That was the situation I faced when I was posted to a rural community college to teach English Language to Years 10-12 students.
My students were hardworking, inquisitive and amazing but as children of poor rice farmers, with English as their third language, they were profoundly vulnerable and destined for a life of poverty.
My college was chronically short of quality learning and teaching resources as well. The newest textbook was about ten years old.
We did not really exist and our situation was dire. There was no hope. No one was dreaming.
THE RESPONSE
As a teacher, I knew I had to do something. Anything.
So I took a chance with the knowledge and skills I had gained through my bachelors degree in linguistics and literature.
I created The Essay Flowchart.
The Essay Flowchart is a transformative learning resource that takes students systematically and visually from individual words, to parts of speech, to sentence construction, to paragraph development and ultimately to structured writing.
It goes to the core of the learning process – better understanding, better analysing and better presenting information – vital skills that are invaluable not only for academic success but for life generally.
THE RESULT
The Essay Flowchart took my students on a writing journey of self-discovery in their learning abilities, giving them hope and confidence and inspiring them to dream of a better future through improved academic performance.
Given the importance of good reading and writing skills, the result was almost instant as the performance of my students started to improve across all subjects. The overall class pass rate jumped from about 50% to 92%, which was a remarkable turnaround in one year.
Such was the outcome that one student scored the highest mark in the national English examination.
But the impact of The Essay Flowchart went further.
My students and I sold it for $1 each (with the proviso that it was available free to any student who could not afford it) and we used the money to support the welfare of many needy students.
The Essay Flowchart simply became a tipping point that changed the world for my students and me.
THE PROJECT
This project is about making The Essay Flowchart as accessible as possible so that a poor student anywhere in the world can access it free or for a maximum cost of $2 (if they can afford it) and redefine his or her learning outcomes through good reading and writing skills.
It is more than just empowerment: it is also about creating an environment where learning is fun and manageable.
If changing the circumstance could do wonders for my students, I have every reason to believe it could do the same for a student anywhere in the world.
IMPLEMENTATION
My plan is to start with poor and vulnerable students in Fiji Islands where I still maintain contact with my former college and have a network of ‘teacher’ friends in other schools.
I want to then extend assistance to other students elsewhere, including disadvantaged students in Australia (which is my home).
PLEASE HELP ME CHANGE THE WORLD OF LEARNING FOR SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, IN THE WORLD WITH A RESOURCE AS SIMPLE AS THE ESSAY FLOWCHART
Or as the famous author, Leo Buscaglia, puts it:
To often we understimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
Tipping Point goal
If the tipping point is reached, I will be able to have 500 copies of The Essay Flowchart professionally printed (to the size or a broadsheet and folded in quarters) and distributed (free or at a maximum cost of $2) to poor and vunlerable students in Fiji Islands and elsewhere.
Ultimate goal
If the ultimate goal is reached, I will be able to do three things:
1. Have 1,000 copies of The Essay Flowchart professionally printed (to the size of a broadsheet and folded into quarters) and distributed (free or at a maximum cost of $2) to poor and vulnerable students in Fiji Islands and elsewhere.
2. Set up a website on The Essay Flowchart, thus ensuring permanent archiving and longevity of the project.
3. Make a webinar that explains how to use The Essay Flowchart (to be available on the website).
Note
There are no costs associated with research, development and pilot testing because The Essay Flowchart is complete and ready. It has been used by students and it has demonstrated success.
In addition, there are no costs associated with website development, as I have basic web design skills.
Thus, the full funding is for building value in this project for the greater good that would keep giving for generations to come.